The Prophet (PBUH) says in a Hadith collected by At-Tirmidhi from the supplication (dua’a) of Dawud (AS) (David), “O Allah! I ask for Your love and the love of whoever You love, and the love of an action that brings me closer to Your love. O Allah, make Your love more beloved to me than myself, my family, and cool water.” Why did he specify cool water? Do you know how cool water refreshes the soul on a hot day? So the meaning of the dua'a is: let Your love refresh my heart in the same way that cool water refreshes the soul. Therefore, the love of Allah is the center of life, and everything else revolves around it. This dua’a that the Prophet (PBUH) taught us was first said by Dawud (AS). O Allah, unite us with him in Paradise.

Kaa’b Al-Ahbar, a Jew who embraced Islam, said to Suhaib Ar-Rumi, “I swear by the One who parted the sea for Moses, that we found in our books that Dawud (PBUH) used to say in his dua’a whenever he finished his prayer, ‘O Allah, rectify my religion which controls all my affairs, and rectify my world in which I live, and rectify my after-life to which is my return. And make this life a chance for me to increase in goodness, and make death a relief from hardship. O Allah I seek refuge in Your pleasure from Your wrath, in Your forgiveness from Your punishment, and in You from You, I cannot count your favors (i.e. I cannot thank you as you deserve to be thanked). O Allah, no one can prevent what You give, and no one can give what You prevent.’"

Suhaib said, "By Allah, I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) says this dua’a after prayer." Can you see how all religions are but one nature, and the dua’a is connected? Pray to the Almighty so that you will not cut your good relations with Him.

I know a rich young man, every day on his way to the university in his car he used to make dua’a in the colloquial dialect because he does not know the dua’a that the sheikhs say. He used to say, “O my Lord, are You pleased with me or not? Do You forgive me or not? Bring me closer to You, O my Lord. O my Lord, every time I try to get rid of my sins I go back to them. No one can help me but You, so give me strength to stop sinning.” So I said to myself this young man is very close to Allah. Allah has given Dawud Al-Zabur (The Psalms), and he also gave him a voice that no other human possessed. When he prayed miracles happened; the mountains would start to glorify Allah with him, and their voice was heard. When he read Al-Zabur aloud while feeling the verses of Allah and interacting with them, the birds would gather from all around, glorifying Allah, and their glorification could be heard by other creatures. Can you believe that?

Allah says what can be translated as, “Verily, We made the mountains to glorify Our Praise with him [Dâwûd (David)] in the ‘Ashî (i.e. after the mid-day until sunset) and Ishrâq (i.e. after the sunrise until mid-day). And (so did) the birds assembled: all obedient to him.” (TMQ, 38:18-19) (1). This means that the mountains repeat the morning and evening remembrance, and gather every day repenting to Allah and asking His forgiveness. Imagine the place that Dawud occupies, and next to him a mountain, and birds flying above him, and they are all saying “There is no one worthy of worship except Allah”. “And there is not a thing that does not glorify His Praise." (TMQ, 17:44) Do you know that if you were glorifying Allah in front of the sea that the waves will glorify Him with you, and the breeze, and every atom of the universe around you.

It has been reported that a person of the Ansar (Usayd Ibn Hudayr) was reading Surat Al-Kahf on a Friday, and he started to react to the verses. It seems that this sincere reaction to the verses can shake one’s environment. His horse started making noises and acting anxious. When Usayd stopped reciting, the horse would stop. This had occurred many times. Usayd told the Prophet (PBUH) about this incident. He told him, "This is the tranquility that has been sent down by angels while you were reading the Qur'an, and the horse has been affected by the beauty of your recitation.” (Bukhari, Muslim).

This happens to anyone who remembers Allah and obeys Him; you feel tranquility and amazing comfort because you become in sync with the universe moving in the same direction and singing the same tune. The carpet that you are sitting on glorifies Allah, the wall that you recline on glorifies Allah’s praises. The earth rejoices when an obedient person walks over it. But when you disobey or are negligent of Allah’s orders, as with the situation in the West and with the atheists, you find them committing suicide because they are going against nature and against the divine norms. And you will not find any replacement for the laws of Allah, and you will not find any modification in the laws of Allah.

The Prophet (PBUH) used to say to the crescent moon, “my Lord and your Lord is Allah” (At-Tirmidhi). Meaning, even if we are separated by million of light years, we are all slaves of Allah.

Allah also gave Dawud another miracle. Allah says what can be translated as, “We made his kingdom strong.” (TMQ, 38:20). What is the relationship of tenderness and spirituality with making his kingdom strong? The answer is that when Dawud perfected his worship and the glorification of Allah, Allah protected his kingdom and increased his strength and the strength of the kingdom of the children of Israel at the time when they perfected their worship. The same goes for us. If we want to regain the dignity of this nation, and if we want to liberate Al-Aqsa Mosque, this will not happen unless we worship Allah in the same way that Dawud did. Allah says what can be translated as, “…and (We) gave him Al-Hikmah (Prophethood) and sound judgment in speech and decision.“ (TMQ, 38:20) And he used to love goodness. Allah says what can be translated as, “and remember Our slave Dâwûd (David), owner of hands (endued with power).” (TMQ, 38:17). This description has two interpretations: the first one meaning “power” and the second meaning is that “he had many a hand in good deeds”. How many hands do you have? “Hands” here means charities, for relatives, working in orphanages and cancer centers, and helping people, and being generous to guests, and donating money for Palestine, etc.

Another miracle: in the Authentic Hadith, it has been related that the Prophet (PBUH) said that Allah has made it easy for Dawud to read the Qur’an. What? Quran or Zabur? The Hadith says that the Prophet (PBUH) said Qur'an and not Zabur. The scholars interpreted this that it is true that the Quran was not revealed to Dawud, but the Prophet (PBUH) considers the religion to be the same, the religion of Allah, and he wanted to make us feel the closeness to Dawud (PBUH). Dawud used to order his workers to saddle his horse and he would finish reading the Zabur before they did. Allah blessed the little time he had. Do you know that when you intend to pray two prayer units (rak'at) a little time before Dawn Prayer, you find that you have prayed, made dua’a, asked for forgiveness, and Dawn Prayer time has not come yet.

Among Dawud’s miracles: iron used to become malleable in his hands, so he used to shape it like you shape dough. Imagine how iron and steel are shaped in very hot ovens and how he shaped iron? Allah says what can be translated as, “And We made the iron soft for him.” (TMQ, 34:10). The universe belongs to Allah and He is free to do whatever He wishes in it. The stories of Dawud and Solaiman (AS) (Solomon) are full of miracles from Allah.

It is a fact that Allah made the universe follow certain laws, but to show us that He has control over all His creations He changes it; He orders the fire not to burn Ibrahim (Abraham), and the knife not to slaughter Isma’il (Ishmael), and the iron that requires very high temperature to melt to become malleable in the hands of Dawud, and the water that naturally flows stands for Musa (Moses) and the sun is stopped for Usha’ Ibn Nun (Joshua), and the moon is parted for Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon them all). So you should not fear anyone except Allah. The whole earth is His earth, and the universe is His universe, and in years the Aqsa will be liberated, and the Jews will be gone, and so will we, and the Qura’nic rule stays: “Whatsoever is on it (the earth) will perish. And the Face of your Lord full of Majesty and Honor will remain forever.” (TMQ, 55:26-27).

What did Dawud do when Allah made the iron malleable for him?

He made chain-mail armor for the people to wear for war to protect their bodies when they fought with sword. There is a big difference between the one who makes armor from iron to protect the lives of humans and save the earth from annihilation, and the one whose goal is destruction on earth and the spilling of blood.

“And We made the iron soft for him. Saying: "Make you perfect coats of mail, and balance well the rings of chain armor” (TMQ, 34:10-11) “Coats of mail” meaning armor that protects the body of the person from his head to his toes, and this way no matter how much he is hit, he is not affected. “Balance well the rings of chain armor” is a guidance from Allah to Dawud on how to make light and accurate iron rings, and we find the West are conceited with the inventions that they make, and they claim that it is from their ingenuity. Moreover, they do not acknowledge that this ingenuity is a blessing from Allah to them, and He can seize it whenever He wishes. These verses are an indication of what Allah tells of His prophets who were the first to invent things on earth, and despite that they were God-fearing and pious servants who were not lured by the materialistic world and the technology of their times. The Prophet (PBUH) says in a Hadith about Dawud that is narrated by Imam Ahmed, that he did not run away when he met an enemy, he did not break a promise, and he did not eat except from the labor of his own hands. These three qualities that the Hadith mentions eliminate the thoughts that some might have that religion is only about acts of worship. A truly religious person is:

1) courageous in times of battle,

2) possesses honorable character,

3) works and eats from what his hands earn.

Worship is not sufficient by itself without work in this life. Therefore, no one should think that prayer in the middle of the night is more favorable than going to the university or sitting for exams. Or a lady who worships the Almighty and prays to Him while at the same time hurts her neighbors should not think that she would get away with it because in this case her worship would not benefit her. The Prophet (PBUH) wants to teach us balance.

There is an important remark and that is the most dangerous kind of person harming Islam is the worshipper who has bad character so that when people deal with him they are repelled from religion, and this makes people distant from religion. We should not give a chance for the sinners to say, "Look at those who claim they are religious and have bad character." I advise you to consider that.

In addition to his character, worship, and manufacturing armor, Dawud used to be a judge among people and resolve their disputes. The Qur’an recounts the time when Allah tested him. Dawud used to spend his time between teaching people, manufacturing iron to earn a living, and taking time for worship. Allah sent two angels in the form of two disputing people. Allah says what can be translated as, “And has the news of the litigants reached you? When they climbed over the wall into (his) Mihrâb (a praying place or a private room),” (TMQ, 38:21). Why did Allah send them to him in his praying place? Because Allah wants to teach the judges and muftis wisdom from this verse, which is for them not to make judgment when they are stressed, or in a bad mood, and never make judgment before hearing both sides.

“When they entered in upon Dâwûd (David), he was terrified of them. They said: "Fear not! (We are) two litigants, one of whom has wronged the other, therefore judge between us with truth, and treat us not with injustice, and guide us to the Right Way. Verily, this, my brother (in religion) has ninety-nine ewes, while I have (only) one ewe, and he says: "Hand it over to me, and he overpowered me in speech." (Dâwûd) said (immediately without listening to the opponent): "He has wronged you in demanding your ewe in addition to his ewes. And, verily, many partners oppress one another, except those who believe and do righteous good deeds, and they are few." And Dâwûd guessed that We have tried him and he sought forgiveness of his Lord, and he fell down prostrate and turned (to Allâh) in repentance.” (TMQ, 38: 22-24).

When he declared the judgment before hearing the other person, the angles disappeared, and Dawud realized that he was wrong in his quick judgment. We find these days that some Islamic countries teach the judges this divine rule. When the angels disappeared, he asked Allah for forgiveness and returned to Allah in repentance, and Allah immediately forgave him. Allah says what can be translated as, “So We forgave him that, and verily, for him is a near access to Us, and a good place of (final) return (Paradise).” (TMQ, 38:25)

At the time of Dawud’s death, his son Solaiman (PBUH) washed his body and buried him. In the Musnad of Imam Ahmad, Abu Huraira, (RA) relates in a Hadith of the Prophet (PBUH) how Dawud died. These were situations full of lessons for each of us to learn from, because death might suddenly befall us.

Dawud used to be very jealous when it comes to his wives, and when he left his house, he would lock them in. One day, they found a man in the house, so his wives were worried because of his jealousy. Dawud was very upset, and the stranger would not move, so Dawud asked him: Who are you?

The man said, "I am the one who does not fear kings. I am the one who is not stopped by barriers." Dawud said, "I recognize you, you are the angel of death. Go ahead and take my soul because it is my time" and Dawud died despite the glorification of the mountains and the birds with him and the softness of the iron in his hand. True are the words of Allah when He says what can be translated as, “(And) they all shall return to Us.” (TMQ, 21:93)

I would like to point out two issues. First, the issue of polygamy: without getting into its details, we see that many people attack Islam harshly on this issue. Why is this? Many prophets practiced polygamy: Ibrahim, Dawud, Solaiman (AS), and others. On the contrary, Islam is the only religion that made laws in this regard and limited the number to only four wives. I do not mention this issue to attack women or to encourage men to be polygamous; I want everyone to know that Islam is being attacked for no rational reason and we do not know how to respond to these attacks.

Also, notice another issue in this story, there are men who prohibit their wives from wearing hijab. This is going against the nature; the man wants to let the people know that he is married to a beautiful woman. This problem is widespread to the extent that some women are suffering from husbands who order them not to wear hijab until they become old. This means that at that point (when she is older) he will no longer need her. So my sister, no matter what the situation or the pressure, do not give in or surrender but keep your hijab until the day you meet the destroyer of desires (death), and may Allah help you.

A word to the men: we are Easterners; this issue is not just religion and divine law; where is your sense of honor and manhood? The Prophet (PBUH) said, "(There are) three kinds of people Allah does not look at on the Day of Judgment, He does not purify them, and a grievous punishment awaits them: the one disobedient to his parents, the woman who wears clothing like that of men, and the man who observes women of his family sinning, and has knowledge of it, and is not disturbed by it." (Authentic, Narrated by al-Bukhary, 2358).

I know a man who was married to a beautiful woman and he was very happy when he saw her dressed in clothes that showed her beauty; and the people would be looking at her in the clubs. Allah tested him with an illness that caused him paralysis in the lower part of his body. He would see people while they are enjoying his wife’s beauty, and he could no longer approach her, but he was very jealous. The consequence is usually from the same nature of the deed.

The second issue we learn from the story of the death of Dawud (PBUH) is that his son Solaiman was obedient to him. He set a great example. Consider Solaiman’s love for his father. The Prophet (PBUH) said about Solaiman, "He washed his body, and wrapped him by the time of sunrise. When it became hot, Solaiman was worried that the number of people who will pray on Dawud’s body would be small. Solaiman ordered the birds saying: O birds! Make shade over the prayer place. So the birds made shade on the prayer place, but the heat was intense because the birds prevented the air. So Solomon said, 'O birds move your wings.' Abu Huraira said, 'I saw the Prophet (PBUH) move his hands as the birds move their wings.' " (Ahmad) All of this was done so that many creatures would pray over Dawud’s body. In our time, we find some people who want to bury their parents, and they do not care if many people pray for their souls or not.

I remember hearing a story, when I was visiting Emirates, about a group of people who were building an orphanage. They told a very rich businessman that they had worked very hard and spent a lot of money; they were able to finish two stories but could not complete the rest because of lack of money. The man told them that he wished that they had told him before and he said was ready to pay for the whole thing. He promised them that the next day they would find the money they needed to allow them to finish the building process. The next day the businessman died, so they went to his son and told him the whole story. He told them, “I do not know who you are, and my father died and his inheritance has been distributed among his heirs.” That was the end of the story.

The man who told me the story said that he was very sad. Time passed, and he traveled to France where he met the son of the rich man and his wife. He told them that the father had funded many charitable projects in Mauritania, and suggested that they go with him and visit them, themselves. The son strongly refused at first, and then finally agreed to go there just for forty- eight hours. When he got there he saw extreme poverty. When they were walking around, he saw some children leaving a small clinic very happy that they received medicine. It seems that this clinic was very rare over there. The son asked about it and he was told that this clinic was built from charity. The son went to the clinic and he found the name of his father, the rich businessman, written on the door as one of the contributors. He cried deeply, and asked how much more money they needed for charitable work. A father who did that for sure will be granted mercy when he dies. So I remind everyone about honoring and obeying parents during their lifetime and after their death.

So Dawud died, and his son Solaiman (AS) inherited from him and became the king of the Children of Israel. Allah gave him four miracles: 1) understanding the language of the birds, 2) making the jinn serve him, and the disobedient of them was to be chained, 3) subjecting the wind to him; it blew gently by his order, and 4) making metals malleable for him to use making weapons to fight the enemies of Allah.

We learn from this that Allah is the One Who taught the minds technology, however, corruption became widespread because of the lack of gratitude. The civilization of Solaiman (AS) was superior to the American civilization because it was a civilization that believed in Allah. History did not witness, and earth did not observe, a civilization that was greater than one of the two following civilizations: the civilization of Solaiman (PBUH) and the civilization of the nation of Muhammad (PBUH). The whole universe did not see such prosperity as at these times, and note that the civilization of Muhammad (PBUH) was established by people, not jinn.

Nowadays, people suffer the consequences of corruption and depression even in America and England. You find people sleeping in parks and begging because they do not have shelters during the cold winters and in the snow. The materialistic civilization that is very stingy does not care about the poor.

However, at the time of Omar Ibn-Abdul-Aziz, the money of Zakat would reach him, and he ordered it spent on the poor and destitute. But there were no poor to be found. He ordered it spent to prepare the Muslim army for battle. But the armies were found to be well prepared, and fully equipped with strength. He ordered the money to be spent to pay off any debts. It was found that the debts had been paid off across the Islamic nation. So he ordered the money to be spent to help people get married, but there was money left over. So he said spend it on the Jews and Christians who live in the Muslim land. So, they found that the Islamic government had provided the people with all their necessities.

At this point he said his famous words, "Use this money to buy wheat and spread it over the mountains so the birds would eat from the goodness of the Muslims.” There is a big difference between the one who does that, and the one who throws wheat in the sea so its price would not fall while there are people who are in dire need, and are dying of hunger."

When a civilization is built on human endeavor for the cause of Allah, it becomes greater than the four miracles of Solaiman. Lessons to be learned:

1) Total submission to Allah

2) I will share with you a divine recipe, whoever follows it will live happily all his life and no harm will affect him. Wake up twenty minutes before Fajr prayer, pray two units, give sujud (prostration) its due right [i.e. take time with it], then make dua’a to Allah and ask His forgiveness in the time that He loves the most. Then pray Fajr (men should pray in the masjid). Then say the morning remembrance while on your way back from the masjid. After a while you will get used to that, and this will become a daily routine.

3) The bounties of Allah will multiply when you are grateful to Him, and when you use them in His obedience. And the bounties will diminish when you are ungrateful or use them to disobey Allah.

4) Kindness and obedience to parents

5) The Islamic civilization is the best civilization that ever lived on earth.

6) When does Allah grant us victory and leadership of the humankind? When the youth establish connections with Allah, and when they seek to develop Muslim countries. This is part of giving victory to Islam, so we do not have a lost generation “who have given up As-Salât (the prayers) [i.e. made their prayers to be lost, either by not offering them or by not offering them perfectly or by not offering them in their proper fixed times] and have followed lusts” (TMQ, 19:59). The youth should also be attentive to Allah, and they should not be lenient in committing sins, even if it is a seemingly minor sin as cheating during exams, as cheating for a minute teaches you a corrupt way of life.

7) Palestine—our goal in life should be its liberation. This will not take place suddenly between an evening and a day, but your success could be a contribution toward the generation that will be granted victory, God willing.

1) TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an. Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

AmrKhaled.net © جميع حقوق النشر محفوظة
This Article may be published and duplicated freely for private purposes, as long as the original source is mentioned. For all other purposes you need to obtain the prior written approval of the website administration. For info: dar_altarjama@amrkhaled.net